It’s a rough life being a truck, and there’s no denying that their exteriors take a beating from daily driving, off-road use, grocery store parking lot visits, family life, and weather. Sometimes, worst of all, it seems that the harder you try, the more likely you are to participate in its decline by winging a fender with a tool or swinging your keys into a door. In most cases, it doesn’t take long before a brand-new factory or custom paintjob starts to show some battle wounds. Freeway debris peppers the front bumper with chips. Small scratches appear out of nowhere. If the truck gets driven at all, it’s inevitable.
Unfortunately, the area most susceptible to damage—the exterior paint—is also the area everyone sees first on your truck. Metaphorically speaking, paint can make or break the entire truck. It’s kind of a big deal. Is a brand-new paintjob necessary with each and every blemish that appears? Some would argue yes, but that’s simply not an option for many who plan to keep trucks—and paintjobs—for the foreseeable future. Luckily, AutomotiveTouchup has a solution for touching up paint with its full lineup of color-matched paint products and accessories.
| This king-sized scratch is from unknown origin while the truck was parked on a residential street. While something of this magnitude needs a full bedside paintjob to recover, we hope to make it less noticeable and protect against the possibility of rust.
| Prep is just as important as application when it comes to paint. Before jumping straight to the fun part, it’s crucial to remove dirt and debris from the scratch and surrounding area. Paint Prep Surface Wipes remove surface oil, grease, and wax.
| This is not the right time to apply just any off-the-shelf blue paint. There are thousands of blues out there, but you need to get the right, color-matched blue. AutomotiveTouchup prides itself on its library of factory paint codes but can also mix your custom color. We can attest that the color is an excellent match. However, final results will differ because there are so many variables involved in painting: skill and experience with the specific type of paint application; weather and environment; truck color; and scratch size, location, and severity. Remember—painting is an art that takes practice.
Paint Pen
Paint pens, which are pens that dispense paint through an applicator tip, are a clean and easy way to touch up small areas. Unless you are already comfortable with paint pens, it takes a few minutes to figure out a comfortable technique. The more tense and nervous you get, the wavier your hand gets. The trio of primer, color-matched basecoat, and high-gloss clearcoat run just short of $25.
| Paint Pens
| Gloss Clearcoat Paint Pens
| Paint Pens Basecoat Color
Touch-up Bottle
Since we have another scratch waiting for some touch-up paint, we will try out the ½-ounce touch-up brush-in-cap glass bottles of gray primer, basecoat, and clearcoat. It’s the same paint in a different form. In this case, the female in your life may have more success, as this is just like applying nail polish. The tapered brush, which will not dry out or wear out with time, allows for a precise, predictable application. This trio comes in just shy of $20.
| Paint Touchup Bottle 2
| Paint Touchup Bottle 1
Aerosol Spray Paint
A rattle can option in the right OEM color? Absolutely. AutomotiveTouchup sells 12-ounce spray-paint cans of sandable primer, basecoat, and clearcoat (together totaling about $35). Aerosol spray paint can repair a broader surface area and can also be used to color-match other truck parts like side mirrors and interior trim pieces. Accessories like the aerosol spray can trigger and pre-taped masking film assist in the process. For the bigger jobs, ready-to-spray paint is also available in pint, quart, and gallon cans.
| Aerosol Spray Paint
